


Broken

by Angelicat2



Series: Wings [1]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Age Difference, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Alternate Universe - Wings, During Canon, Galaxy Garrison, M/M, POV Shiro (Voltron), Platonic Soulmates, Pre-Canon, Pre-Kerberos Mission, Romantic Soulmates, Season/Series 01, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, Soulmates, Wings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-16
Updated: 2018-01-16
Packaged: 2019-03-05 12:05:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,310
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13387449
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Angelicat2/pseuds/Angelicat2
Summary: On Earth, everyone has a pair of wings. These wings also act as soulmate markers, and Shiro and Keith find out they are each other's other half. However, just like anything, wings can be removed and soulmate bonds can be broken.It was blank. No emotion nor thoughts ran from Keith's end to his, and Shiro felt anxious. He waited for another few hours as he listened to the guards march by the door to his cell every once in a while. After that, he tried again. On the edge of his vision, he saw his wings. Red and purple withered into a soulless black as each feather turned one at a time.Then he realized that their soulmate bond had been broken.





	Broken

**Author's Note:**

> Mistakes are all mine...enjoy.

Shiro remembered the first time he met Keith.

The teen had barely been introduced to the Garrison, and Shiro had become interested in the lone pilot. Apparently, he had broken Shiro's records on his first try and was now sorted to fighter pilot class, which was interesting because that was the most competitive class. When he had finally met him, he wasn't what Shiro had expected.

The boy was defensive, Shiro could tell. The rumors said he was angry a lot, but taking in his stance, Shiro knew he wasn't. He was also pretty small. The top of his head only came to Shiro's neck, and he was pretty skinny, but Shiro could see that it was more lean muscle than anything else. Ebony hair fell onto pale skin as grey eyes glanced around the room almost in a bored way. Taking a second glimpse, the older man noted that his eyes were actually tinted violet. Shaking himself out of his stupor, he started the class. The actual teacher was on the observation deck watching the students.

He was helping the younger cadets with their flight patterns today. Shiro's wings were made for strength and long flight, and he was one of the best fliers out of the whole Garrison. His wings were the standard white since he hadn't found his other half yet, and they were fairly large. They stretched out to a full length of almost twice his height when he held them parallel to his outstretched arms. Flexing his left wing, he started guiding the younger teens as they took turns at flying. Demonstrating what to do, Shiro rose into the air and performed some tight turns and maneuvers. The room they were in was specially made for their wings and he always enjoyed this. Doing a few quick loops in the air and shifting around some obstacles in the way, he touched down back on the ground. Claps brought him out of his trance as he allowed himself a deep breath in. Soon, he got the others into the air.

The first five weren't bad at flying. He gave them tips to help turn quicker or where to tuck their wings to be more aerodynamic. He knew that flying could wear a person out faster than anything if they didn't learn how to fly properly. Smiling as one of the cadets turned just in time to avoid the last obstacle, he called the student down.

"Good job," he acknowledged with a small grin as the student rushed back to the others with an excited cheer, and Shiro inspected the next student on the list, "Keith Kogane."

The first thing he heard was the whispering. The other cadets had all fallen silent from their own hushed conversations as they looked towards one direction. Out stepped the boy from earlier, and he didn't seem concerned that the others were giving him looks of envy and dislike. Sighing inwardly, Shiro felt bad for him. He knew just what it felt like to be seen as someone invincible, but at least people were nice to him. He had the feeling that the same could not be said for Keith.

Watching Keith take off, Shiro raised a brow. The boy's wings were the size of his body and the same length as he was tall, which made them relatively small compared to others. Each pearly feather seemed sharpened for the purpose of speed and agility, and Shiro felt himself grin as his assumption came true. Performing his flips as if they were no feat at all, Keith stooped into a quick dive. Shiro was about ready to catch him as he came closer to the floor, but at the last millisecond, his wings shifted and he soared over Shiro's head. Feeling his front hair tickle his face, he let out an awed breath as Keith weaved through the obstructions in the room. The junior officer moved towards the cadet just as he landed. Seeing the familiar expression that Shiro himself wore after a fulfilling flight, he grinned even wider. This kid was a great flier, maybe even better than Shiro.

Reaching his arm out to the cadet, he didn't notice the tingling in his wings until their hands clapped together. The feeling spread from the beginning of his wings to the tips, and he heard the other students gasp in surprise. Keeping his eyes on the young man in front of him, his eyes widened in astonishment as a beautiful scarlet coated those wings, and light purplish specks fluttered onto them. Purple-tinted eyes stared back at his wings in wide-eyed shock, and Shiro shifted his gaze to them. His own were a direct reverse of Keith's, purple with red dots. Letting out a breathless gasp of laughter, Shiro smiled softly at the now-conflicted teen. Said cadet let out a tiny smirk before he turned his head away.

Shiro had found his soulmate.

Now, he was ripped from his thoughts as panic laced its way through his whole being. Something was wrong on Keith's end and the dread grew to new levels as seconds went by. Shiro was stuck in his cell in the Galra ship and light years away from physically helping Keith. He tried to ask Keith what was wrong, but all he got was hurried words.

_Trying to...can't let them...wings...can't let them...help!_

Shiro bolted upright as the frightened feeling intensified. His own heart raced faster than he thought possible as Keith's horror transferred to him. He had never felt this much emotion from Keith before in the last two and a half years they had known each other. 

_Keith! Keith! I'm...I'm here. What's going on? Keith?_

He got brief flickers of other emotions, but they grew weaker by the second. He barely heard the whisper as fear turned into pain.

_Bye, Takashi._

Suddenly, his wings burned like they were on fire. Falling forward onto the small cell floor, he curled up into a ball as he stifled his screams of agony. Where his wings joined onto his back felt like they were being severed, and he could only grunt. This torture was worse than anything he had gotten in the Arena. The scar on his face and the ones on his body were proof enough of this. Letting out wet and shaky breaths as he laid there, about half an hour later, it stopped. Letting out a relieved breath, he focused on their bond.

It was blank. No emotion nor thoughts ran from Keith's end to his, and Shiro felt anxious. He waited for another few hours as he listened to the guards march by the door to his cell every once in a while. After that, he tried again. On the edge of his vision, he saw his wings. Red and purple withered into a soulless black as each feather turned one at a time.

Then he realized that their soulmate bond had been broken.

\-----

He awoke to yellow light. Startling awake and upright, he barely heard the comforting words as someone spoke beside him. Trying to hold the flashback at bay as his breath came out quickly, he glanced to his right. There was Keith.

Almost collapsing in shock, the man stared at him. He never thought he'd see his soulmate again. Perhaps this was another dream or something Zarkon's witch conjured up for him.

"I'm here, Shiro," a smile curved his lips up a little as Shiro let out a breath, "I'm here. You're safe."

Shiro took note of where they were as he calmed down. They were in Keith's shack he had gotten from his absent father. He was on the old couch with a thin blanket spread over him. He groaned as he pushed himself up. Staring at Keith, he took him in. The 18-year-old was even skinnier than he had been, and his eyes were duller than before. He had dark bags under his eyes like he hadn't been getting much sleep, and Shiro's worry blossomed. He was wearing his red crop-top jacket, and Shiro felt himself frown. Not that it didn't look good on him, but Keith had never worn it because this was a jacket with no holes for his wings, and he couldn't bring himself to put in any tears. Just that alone said something.

That's why their bond had been broken. Keith's had been removed forcefully. Before Keith could so much as move, Shiro wrapped him in his arms unconsciously. Keith froze for a second before he settled down with his head on Shiro's collarbone. Through his thin, Garrison-standard t-shirt, Shiro felt Keith's arms and chest against his own body. He may have been leaner than before, but he was even more muscled. He must have worked out on his free time like Shiro had while in his cell.

"You're okay," Shiro whispered as warm breath tickled his lower neck, "I'm here. I won't leave you again."

Keith didn't shed a tear in the whole process, but he did stay there for many minutes before he pushed away. Shiro let him go but held his hand the whole time as Keith gathered himself. 

"We have some company," Keith glanced towards the door as Shiro raised a brow, "Um...I have your clothes from last time we were here. Not sure how well they'll fit, but I'm going to go get them for you."

And he was gone. Shiro sighed tiredly as he glanced out the window behind him. In the distance, he saw the sun starting to rise as the night sky faded from navy blue to golden red. Three shadows were standing nearby, and he had to guess that they were the company Keith had been talking about. Whoever they were, he didn't think long about it as he somehow knew Keith was right behind him. Glancing back, he smiled when he saw the young man watching him. He was no doubt thinking of the changes he saw in Shiro like Shiro had done with him earlier. He let the guy inspect him carefully with his eyes before he snickered.

"What?" 

"Did I ever tell you how glad I am that you're my soulmate?"

Keith's gaze fell to the floor as he frowned slightly. Before Shiro could say anything, Keith smiled softly at him before he handed him his clothes.

"Just get dressed," Keith rolled his eyes playfully as he started for the door, "I'll be back inside in a little. The shower's still where you know it is."

And the door shut quietly as Shiro got up. The shower was in the bunker part of the shack, and Shiro had to agree with Keith. He needed a shower. Really badly. He let all other thoughts go as he stumbled to it.

\-----

This was not working. They were having a hard time forming Voltron for the second time. Shiro didn't know how they were going to get the giant robot up and running. His armor messed with his wings just the slightest as he shifted them around a little. Luckily, the armor could accommodate for their wings and still be air-tight. He glanced at Keith from the corner of his eye. He had noticed that the man had been acting off all day long as they trained, and he knew it wasn't from the training. For being so slim and small, Keith had a crazy amount of stamina that kept him going. Even after that, his stubbornness allowed him to continue for even longer.

Keith looked out of place in their group, his outfit the only without wings. Pidge stood to the side as Hunk guided Lance through the invisible maze. The smallest of the group was watching from feet to Shiro's left, his semi-earthly green and brown wings twitching slightly. Hunk's own semi-golden and blue-colored wings moved as if on their own. Below, a pair of closely colored wings brushed the electric wall.

Shiro raised a brow. Hunk and Lance must have been platonic soulmates, and Pidge must have had one too. It would explain the deep friendship they had with each other. The youngest didn't have his here, and Shiro hoped they wouldn't be gone from his friend for long. Platonic soulmates were just a few steps below a romantic soulmate bond. Not that Shiro saw anything wrong with that. Both were just as important.

Soon, it was Shiro's turn to lead Keith through the maze. Using his knowledge and changed status of having no wings, he helped Keith go through without problems. Keith only tapped a wall a few times, and those had been tiny mistakes on Shiro's half. 

"That's cheating," Lance stated from behind Shiro as Keith rushed out of the training room, "He doesn't have wings to run into things."

"Lance," Hunk warned as the large teen's face grew bothered, "Dude."

"No," Lance waved his arms as his wings flexed, and Shiro had to stop himself from yelling something he'd regret later as his blood boiled a little, "What's his problem anyway? He's always acting stuck-up and like he's better than us."

"Lance, just drop it," Pidge sighed as if he had heard this a million times before, "Can you just put your rivalry thing to the side for a day?"

"Whatever," the Cuban huffed as his wings settled at his back, "It's not like anyone cares anyway."

Shiro seethed silently at the teen. He didn't know what the boy's problem with Keith was, but Shiro did not like what he was saying. About to reprimand him, he opened his mouth only to see Keith on the other side of the room. A resigned expression was on his face as he stared at them all, his eyes lingering on Shiro. 

"What's next?" He stated with an emotionless voice as he stared at Coran and crossed his arms over his chest. Shiro frowned as he watched him. To the others, he probably looked like he was being rude or cold, but Shiro knew different. Keith was being defensive like a cornered cat. Instead of lashing out at others, he caved in on himself. Shiro made sure to remember to check in on him before they went to bed for the night.

"Well, next," the orange-haired Altean smiled cheerfully as he waved his hands around, "You get to fly your lions. After all, a paladin is only as strong as his lion."

Shiro nodded as he followed the others to the hanger doors. Pausing at the last second, he carefully grabbed Keith's wrist.

"You okay?"

"Yeah," the younger man wouldn't meet his eyes, "Just...tired."

Shiro didn't like how he stated that. He knew Keith wasn't tired, but he dropped it as the other started for the Red Lion's hangar. Just before he could go through it, he called out to him, "Keith."

"Yeah?" He glanced back at the older man.

"I'm here for you." Shiro smiled as he put his flesh hand on the teen's shoulder, "No matter what. You know that, right?"

"Yeah," his smile was just the slightest less forced this time as he moved to his door, "I...thanks."

Shiro just grinned back understandingly as he went to his own chair. Seconds later, he jumped onto the zip glider, into the vehicle chair device, and into his lion. Its presence flared in his mind as he grabbed the handles. Taking off into the sky, he saw the first three waiting for them as he and Keith moved out of the castle.

"Alright," Shiro smiled as he heard Black purr quietly in his head, "Let's do this! We can form Voltron. Let's figure out how."

They started to fly in form when the Red Lion paused and froze. Shiro was first to notice something was wrong as he stopped and turned back to the other. The other three soon joined in as they heard some panting over the comms.

"I'm fine, Red," his voice was low, and Shiro knew he wasn't, "J-just need a second."

No more came from the line as a growl was heard from the large machine. Seconds later, the lion's eyes flashed a brighter golden as it launched itself into the air.

"Red!" Keith exclaimed as the lion shot into the air, "What are you doing?"

The lion just twisted in mid-air before purring loud enough for all of them to hear.

"Oh," the teen's voice shifted to curiosity and then joy as he chuckled some, "I...thanks, kitty. Let's roll."

Red shot straight up and whipped back around in a few crazy loops that Shiro was sure would crash any of the rest of them. As he did some more spins and flying, Shiro suddenly understood what the mechanical beast was doing. It was helping heal and cheer Keith up. Keith was flying it just like he used to fly with his wings. It was all skill and instinct, just like the Red Lion itself. Shiro felt himself grin in a way he hadn't for well over a year.

"Okay," Shiro stated with a small chuckle after a moment, "Time to focus. We have to figure out how to form Voltron. Who knows when Zarkon will appear?"

"Maybe we can..." Hunk suggested something as Shiro looked back at the red beast. If they had their bond, Shiro knew he'd have been feeling Keith's wonder. He was feeling that way just knowing Keith was happy and alive.

\-----

Shiro popped into the medical bay as he saw Coran standing by the door with an injector of some sort and other small equipment. He steeled himself as he pulled himself together. Sitting on one of the beds, he carefully removed his vest and undershirt.

"Are you sure about this, Shiro?" Coran asked calmly with a worried expression, "You can't undo it if you do."

"I'm sure, Coran," he frowned before Keith's dejected face came to his mind, "I have to do this."

"Alright," Coran gave a small sigh as he slowly injected Shiro with the sedative. Shiro's world soon faded to blackness.

\-----

"What are those?" The king of the Arusians asked as Shiro moved towards the other paladins, "They are different from my people's."

Shiro saw Pidge, Lance, and Hunk share glances at each other. They moved their wings almost as if they were arms as they explained.

"These are our wings," Pidge's glasses flashed in the lights, "They help us fly."

"Do all of your species have such things?" Another Arusian wondered as he or she (Shiro wasn't too sure about if all aliens were binary) gently poked one of Lance's feathers, "They seem so."

"Well, everyone, where we come from, has them," he continued before his eyes shifted to Keith's still form feet away, "At least, most do."

"Do you not have these wings?" Another alien asked Keith who looked about three seconds from growling and leaving, "Surely-"

"Actually," Shiro moved to Keith's right side as he interrupted the native, "He's not the only one."

The whole group seemed to study him. There were a few gasps from the others as they finally noticed that he didn't have his wings out of his armor. Keith didn't seem surprised, just confused and a little hurt. Shiro sent him a small smile that had the other melting just the slightest.

"You don't need wings to survive," he said the words with a conviction he wasn't aware of as he stared right at Keith, "And you don't need wings to care about someone."

Keith seemed to digest that with a nod. Shiro knew he understood the message not said.

_I'm still here for you. I'll never leave you ever again. Not on purpose. You're still my best friend. My everything. My soulmate. A pair of wings won't change that, and I love you regardless._

They just shared smiles at that. They would get by without wings.

**Author's Note:**

> Romantic soulmates get wings that change colors to the reverse of each other. If one has white with black spirals, the other has black with white spirals. 
> 
> Platonic soulmates get wings that are similar colors but the whole wings aren't colored. There are still parts that are the natural white.
> 
> So...I'm thinking about writing another story for this story a little bit later. It'll be about Shiro and Keith getting their wings back (and better than before) because I can't just leave them wingless. Plus, his Galra side will help make them come back.
> 
> As always, comment and send me kudos. I'm waiting to hear what you think of this.


End file.
